Using Social Media in Project Management

The rationale for using SM in project management isn’t about being social but about improving the ability of the organization to get projects completed successfully on time, on budget and achieving the intended outcome.

Part of a successful project is completing it in a way that fosters stakeholder support, acceptance and buy-in. In that context, SM can play a critical role especially on projects that are geographically dispersed.

Using SM-based tools, project teams can connect, regardless of location, to discuss issues; collaborate; stay up-to-date on assignments; and more. Through SM, online dashboards, project announcements and status reports can be centrally maintained and be accessible by authorized stakeholders on a global basis.

Social media, like all tools, should never be used for the sake of just using the tool; the use needs to be justified in context to the needs of the organization. Since SM basically consists of cloud-based applications that enable the sharing of content (statically or dynamically) amongst people, it is difficult not to use SM within the confines of a project.